The whole altar trembled. All the statues began to awaken. Their eyes opened, and they shook off the dust that covered them. They roared deeply, one by one tightening the chains, pulling steps out from the altar.
The sight was awe-inspiring. The hundred-meter-tall statues were like resurrected titans, each movement carrying the force of destruction, spreading a terrifying pressure.
Alavin, Cedrick, Mariela, and Eyla quickened their pace, heading for the top of the stairs.
As the eighteen statues tightened their grip on the altar and eighteen steps were pulled away, the altar began to shake violently. The top sank down and emitted a fierce beam of light that surged like a waterfall into the sky. The column of light was a kaleidoscope of colors, casting an endless, dazzling brilliance over the entire space.
"Intruders, face the judgment!" The Eighteen Souls shouted in unison, their voices thundering through the cavern, causing the blood of the four to churn, their expressions pained.
"One lives, and four thrive! One dies, and four lie in grave!"
"How shall we be judged?" Eyla barely got the words out before the surging tide of light split into four, falling from the sky like meteors, crashing towards the four of them.
If all failed the judgment, all four would be destroyed.
Thunderous rumbling engulfed them as a blinding light flooded the area, striking the altar and sending violent tremors through the ground.
"Ah!!"
Alavin and his companions were overwhelmed by the endless bright light, screaming in agony as if they had suddenly plunged into an infinite starry sky. Their consciousness and bodies spun out of control, surrounded by streaking stars, as if they had fallen into a vast vortex being devoured by terrifying darkness, or as if thousands of sharp blades were piercing their bodies, threatening to shatter them completely.
Eighteen Souls tightened their grip on the chains, their eyes blazing with fierce light as they wielded the Judgment Light upon the four.
Alavin's life, from birth to the present, everything he had experienced, whether remembered or forgotten, was now being deeply excavated and laid bare before Eighteen Souls. It was as if each of the Sovereign Spirits had merged into Alavin's life, accompanying him as he re-lived those sixteen years.
Cedrick, Mariela, Eyla—they too were being judged, completely exposing themselves to the Eighteen Souls. It felt as if a long time had passed, and yet it was over in an instant.
"Fail!"
"Fail!"
Eighteen Souls pronounced the verdict on Mariela and Cedrick—decisive, authoritative, and cold. The roaring light pinned them to the altar like a cage, ready to destroy them at any moment. They both lost consciousness, sinking into an endless abyss, falling deeper and deeper, unable to control their own bodies any longer.
"I accept Eyla!" one of the Sovereign Spirits began to judge Eyla.
"Impossible! The Golden Blood will not allow itself to merge with a woman's body."
"How dare you! Are you looking for a fight?"
"I reject her! Her murderous nature is too severe. She could bring calamity and chaos."
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